Surviving Joshua L Meridian Middle School
by quigglestein
Summary: The Modern AU about Butter Fingers, Davey. Hype, Ike, Mike, Sketch, and other characters surviving their last year at Joshua L. Meridian Middle School. My first time trying to write a Modern AU, please review, and please enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

***Testing the Modern AU waters here… just a little test run so review if you'd like to see more of it… Enjoy.

Bridget tightened the straps of her backpack as she stood outside of the slightly run-down school building that stood in front of her. She gulped nervously remembering what her older sisters Florence and Ophelia had told her about it and how much homework she'd have every night. Since Bridget was in all advanced classes this school year, she'd have much more expected of her, which meant that left very little time to make friends and more time to study (something she had a hard time doing, but allowed her to continue to make her good grades which were needed if she ever wanted to get on the computer ever again). Bridget turned to look for her friend Rosetta, whom she had known since they were both in diapers, only to be unable to find her in the sea of students. Sighing, she turned back an started to walk inside through the hideous black doors (the mouth) of the beast that was her school. She walked up the stairs to the eighth grade hallway trying not to throw up her breakfast. It was her first time being in a public school, having been homeschooled up until this point by her loving, but very strict mother. Bridget was only one of six kids, which meant that she was on her own most of the time, considering that she had a younger brother, Milo, who was thirteen (making Bridget 14), and a baby sister, Pansy who was one. Bridget smiled slightly thinking about how she and Milo were going to walk home together with Rosetta after school today, but her smile quickly faded as she turned around the corner and saw the mass of peers crowded in the hallway. Bridget pulled out her schedule, and looked down at the number she had written on it earlier that week at orientation. "Thirty-one," she quietly said, as she made her way to a small, but tall metal door that was one of many in a huge cluster. This was what a locker was, and Bridget was curious. Bridget frowned as she looked back down at her schedule, looking at the combination she had also written down at orientation. Placing her hand on the dial, she spun it clockwise three times, stopping on the one, turning the dial counterclockwise stopping at the fifteen, and turning the dial back to clockwise one rotation until she stopped at twenty-nine. Bridget pulled upwards on the metal latch the kept the door closed, and slowly, the metal door swung open to reveal the empty metal interior. Bridget grinned; she had completed the task of opening up her locker. Bending down she opened up her backpack, an began to pull out her binders, and locker shelf. She organized the binders in the order of her classes, and quickly rolled up her backpack, pinning it with a clothespin she pulled from her pocket, and hanging it on the small hook at the top of her locker, along with her lunch. Smiling she grabbed her World History binder and book, and headed to the classroom, now prepared to start her first day of public school.

Oliver grabbed his World History binder and book, pausing only to fix his curly black hair in the girl next to his locker's mirror. She looked at him, her blonde braid moving as she put stuff in her locker. "Good morning Oliver," she said sweetly grabbing her math binder and book, and closing her locker. "Morning Stella," Oliver said as he passed her on his way to class, "I hope you remembered to do your math homework!" Stella rolled her eyes, and walked off to her math class. Oliver strode through the classroom door, and sat down in his seat. It was assigned to him, and he was glad Mrs. Orem gave it to him too. It was an ideal seat, middle row, but the second to last seat, he could get away with passing notes to Mike O'Malley (one of his few close friends), and still see the projector screen with no problem. Oliver pulled out his binder to start on his bell work that Mrs. Orem had put up for them all to do. Just then, a new girl walked in. She was tall, had long curly brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, bright blue-green eyes, a slew of freckles all over her arms and face. She was wearing converse, jeans, and a t-shirt that said "Woe is Poe" and that had a picture of Edgar Allen Poe on it. Mrs. Orem greeted her with her usual smile and gusto. "Class," Mrs. Orem announced as Oliver ripped out a piece of paper scribbling on it a note to Mike about Bridget. "Class," Mrs. Orem repeated smiling enthusiastically, "we have a new student. This is Bridget, say hello to Bridget class!" "Hello Bridget," everyone in the class said in sync with each other, the sound monotone. "Bridget, please have a seat behind Oliver over there, and begin to work on your bell work," said Mrs. Orem, pointing to the empty desk behind Oliver. Bridget's eyes scanned the room, her eyes wide as she found her seat behind Oliver. Oliver quickly folded his note to Mike, and handed it to him. He quickly finished the bell work questions, all the while thinking about Bridget, who now took up the empty desk behind him, would make a good addition to his circle of friends. Mike handed him his note back, as Oliver smiled. Mike agreed with him, Bridget would make a wonderful addition to their group friends, so long as Oliver talks to her after this class was over. The bell rang, and class started. Bridget would just have to wait until this class was over until she could be invited to join Oliver and his friend's at lunch, but until then, Ancient China would be the main focus.


	2. Chapter 2

***James is the equivalent as Twig, just saying

"Mr. Callahan," Mrs. Orem called out to a zoned out Oliver. "What is an example of an ancient Chinese invention?" Oliver cleared his throat scrambling to remember at least one invention the Chinese invented. "Well you see Mrs. Orem, the ancient Chinese invented many things such as," Oliver pauses to clear his throat, now remembering something he had read in a book, "such as silk." Mrs. Orem's scowl cleared up as she smiled at a sheepish Oliver, "Very good Oliver, thank goodness you were actually paying attention, because for a second there I thought you were thinking about Ms. Scott behind you, instead of paying attention to the lesson!" Oliver blushed as that had been what he really had been thinking about. Bridget, who had being listening intently to Mrs. Orem, even though she had already learned about ancient China, last year while she was still being homeschooled, blushed slightly. Bridget's palms became slightly sweaty with her growing nervousness. The mention of a boy even looking at her, much less thinking about her, sent Bridget into a nearly frenzied state of nervous happiness. She closed her eyes, and began to slowly inhale and exhale to try to calm her racing heart and frazzled nerves like her copy of _The Guide to Beating Social Anxiety _instructed her to do. Mrs. Orem started her lesson up again after calling on a few more people, namely Mike O'Malley, and Nicole Addams. The latter having very severe social anxiety, which lead to her sweating nervously and slightly shaking after her turn was up, and she had answered the question. Oliver sighed, his moment of embarrassment had passed, and now he was ready to discuss to Bridget about joining his circle of friends. Just then, the bell rang, allowing the students to file out. As Bridget was packing up, a pre-packed Oliver stood up, and turned around to face her. "It's Bridget right?" Oliver asked, just trying to find an excuse to talk to her. "Um," Bridget said as she grabbed her last book, standing up to come face to face with Oliver. "Yeah it's Bridget, you're Oliver right?" she said quietly, as their eyes locked for a second before she looked back down again. "Yeah it is. Well uh Bridget," Oliver said, clearing his throat, "Mike and I were wondering if you'd come and join us and our friends at lunch. There's Nicole Addams, RosettaMatthews , Stella Stone to keep you company if you aren't a huge fan of surrounding yourself with just boys." Bridget smiled at this act of kindness. "I'd be happy to join all of you at lunch, what table should I look for?" Bridget asked, as she looked up at Oliver's face. "We usually sit at the farthest table from the doors you go in, but you'll probably see us anyway, since we all take up most of a table." Bridget nodded and said goodbye to Oliver, as she headed to her locker, opening it a bit faster than she had earlier, and grabbing her science binder before heading to homeroom, which was right after world history. The classes whizzed by that day as Bridget grew increasingly nervous as lunch began to approach. "At least I know Rosetta already," Bridget thought to herself in her art class as she drew a couple in a tree in her sketchbook. Then lunch came around. It was time for Bridget to endure what would be one of the best but also one of the worst lunchtimes in her school year at Joshua L. Meridian Middle School.

Oliver waited anxiously in the lunch line as everyone got their food before him. It was Questionable Meat Monday as everyone called it. Monday was the day the lunch ladies did their best to put the most questionable "meat" substances out for the students to eat. It was fun to try to identify what kind of animal the meat was, as the possibilities were endless to guess, because the "meat" in question was a hard, brown-green, chunk with bits of yellow and red embedded in it. Oliver fake-gagged at the sight of the "meat" as he put one on his tray, despite its smallness, the unidentifiable meat weighed down his tray a lot. Luckily though, the lunch ladies were kind enough to make edible green beans, rolls, and peach cobbler. Oliver sped through the line as fast as he could so he could save a seat for Bridget. He had all of his core classes with her, and he had spent every minute of each class thinking of ways he could get to know her better. Oliver was a determined person, and when he became obsessed with something, you couldn't possibly tear him away from it before he reached his goal. Bridget's friendship and trust was his goal, and now there was no stopping him. Oliver quickly paid for his lunch, and sat down in his usual seat. He placed a hand on the seat to his right in order to save it for Bridget. Just then, Bridget came racing down the hallway, lunch in hand, and quickly walked through the doors, scanning the mass of students packed into the lunchroom trying to find Oliver. Bridget spotted him at the table he told her they'd all be at. He waved at her as she walked closer. She saw the others in the lunch line, and sped up her pace in order to get to the table before anyone else sat down. Oliver motioned for her to sit in the seat to his right. She promptly sat down, and set her lunchbox up on the table, and looked over at Oliver's lunch. "What is that?" Bridget asked, pointing at the still unidentified meat on Oliver's tray. "I don't know," he murmured his eyes fixed on Bridget's face, "maybe ostrich?" Bridget smiled, "maybe it's antelope," she mused as she inspected the possible ostrich/antelope hunk. Just then, Rosetta, Nicole, Mike, Stella, and James Evans sat down around them both. "Oliver, is this your newest girlfriend?" James asked, as he speared a green bean, and lifted it into his mouth. "No James," Oliver said with great gusto, "this is Bridget, she's new here, and I just thought she needed to join our group because she looked like she needed a friend." "Oliver it looks like you filled that quota and then some already," Mike said as he tore open his roll and, pointing towards Bridget's beet red cheeks. "She's under your spell," Mike added as he thoughtfully chewed on his roll, which he had carefully buttered just milliseconds before. "Am not," declared Bridget indignantly as she roughly unzipped her lunchbox and pulled out a peanut butter and jelly sandwich her mom had packed her earlier that morning. She bit into it just as Oscar and Morris Delancey appeared behind Mike and James. Bridget's eyes widened as Morris began to speak. Oscar's steel gray eyes bored into hers as she felt a sense of fear creep up into her mouth and nose, filling it with its bitter evil taste. This was only the beginning of terror Bridget would feel when she locked eyes with Oscar Delancey. She had good reason too, but this was only the beginning of a troubling love triangle.


	3. Chapter 3

Oscar stared at Bridget just as Lavender Edwards (Oscar's "girlfriend") walked by. She threw away her trash in the cans behind Bridget, and turned to see Oscar staring at Bridget in the same manner he normally stared at her. Lavender came up behind Bridget, "Oscar, aren't you going to come sit with me and Francine? I'm sure we're better company than these nerds, especially this one." Lavender pointed down at Bridget, who tilted her head back to find herself being pointed at. Oliver frowned as Oscar retorted. "You know Lavender, I think I will, but I think that you mean that he," Oscar turned to point at Oliver, "is a bigger nerd than her." Lavender smirked as Oliver's expression darkened. Lavender circled around the table, and interlaced her arm with Oscar's. "Let's go Osc-y," Lavender cooed, "these nerds are making me want to gag." Oscar smirked, and he escorted Lavender to her table, sitting down with her when they reached it. Morris looked sheepish, "Don't mind them," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets, "they just think they're better than everyone else, especially Lavender. Dating Oscar has gone to her head, and something tells me that relationship won't last much longer." Bridget grinned, albeit slightly, at Morris's thoughts on his brother and Lavender. "Arrivederci fools," Morris said, walking away and winking ever so slightly at Nicole. Bridget, not noticing this, quickly finished eating her lunch and got up to throw it away. Oliver stood up at the same time, and they threw their lunches away together. They sat back down at their seats, and began to chat about their home lives. Bridget learned that Oliver lived his mother's friend Maggie, because his mother committed suicide after his father left her for a younger woman, leaving him an only child. Oliver learned that Bridget's parents were romantics, and as a result of that she had five other siblings and a lot of hand-me-downs. "You should come over sometime for dinner," said Bridget to Oliver, "there's always room for one more, and my parents have proved that by having all of us." "I'd love to, just say when and where, and I'll be there," replied Oliver happily. Just then, the bell rang signaling the end of lunch. Everyone got up, and shuffled out the double doors leading into the hallway ready to head to their fifth period. This period was Business Technology Applications (BTA) for Bridget, and she wasn't too thrilled. Basically, from what she had gleamed form the course overlook she read at the orientation, the class taught you how to properly type and other boring things. Sighing, Bridget walked into the Computer Lab where the class was held, finding a computer the farthest away from everyone else, and setting up her books. Nicole jogged in just as the bell rang, and plopped down in the seat next to Bridget, panting from having jogged down the hall in order to be on time. Bridget looked at Nicole, who looked back at her. "I'm Bridget," Bridget said proffering her hand to Nicole who took it, shaking it. "Ni-cole," said Nicole between pants and grinning, "nice to meet you." Bridget grinned, but it quickly fell as Ms. Heralds, the teacher walked into the room. Class started, and it was all just nothing but typing the middle row of keys over and over again. After a torturous forty-five minutes, fifth period was finally over. The last few classes crept by and then finally; the last bell of the day rang. Bridget rushed to her locker, and began to pack her things, eager to see Milo and Rosetta and walk home with them. She put the binders that contained her homework in them into her backpack, grabbed her lunchbox, and zipped the bag shut. Bridget slung it over her back, and walked down the hall to Rosetta's locker which was on the other side of Oliver's. As Rosetta was zipping up her bag, Oliver popped his head around the side of Rosetta's locker to look at Bridget, who was blissfully unaware of his stare until she looked over at him. She smiled shyly, and looked down at Rosetta, who finally had her bag zipped and was ready to go. "Goodbye Oliver," Bridget and Rosetta said in synch. "Bye Bridget, bye Rosetta," Oliver said a blush starting to form on his face. He closed Rosetta's locker for her, and watched as Bridget and Rosetta walked away to go find Milo, Bridget's little brother, and walk home with him. Wishing he could follow them, Oliver turned and found Nicole and Mike farther down the hallway, and walked with them to the bus stop. Nicole headed on to walk home, Mike stayed to ride the bus with Oliver. "Mike," Oliver said quietly, "is it crazy to form a crush in one day on a girl you've just met?"


	4. Chapter 4

Bridget glanced over at her younger brother Milo as Rosetta, him, and her walked home after school. Milo was only a year younger than Bridget, who was fourteen. He was the same height as her (and still growing), with brown-red curly hair that ended just above his eyebrows. Bridget's mother was always fussing after his hair, trying unsuccessfully to brush the hair to the side so he wouldn't hurt his neck flicking it to the side himself like so many other boys his age did. Milo and Bridget looked alike except for their eye color. Whereas Bridget's were blue-green, Milo's were completely green, which many girls found attractive despite the fact Milo already had a girlfriend. "How was your day Milo," asked Bridget, still slightly distracted with thoughts of Oliver's eyes lighting up every time he saw her that day. "Pretty good actually," Milo said cheerfully, "I got first chair in band despite the fact I haven't been practicing at all this summer". "That's awesome Milo!" Exclaimed Rosetta, high-fiving him enthusiastically. "That is pretty radical," said Bridget smiling about Milo's news. Although Milo often times denied it, he was really good at playing the French horn. "Radical?" questioned Milo and Rosetta in unison looking at Bridget puzzled. "Isn't radical just um, just a tad too cheesy and old for you Bridget?" Milo asked, looking at Bridget waiting for an explanation. "I'm just trying to bring it back," Bridget replied raising her eyebrows at Milo, "besides, sometimes it's cool to bring back words, like cowabunga, or frabjous." Milo and Rosetta burst out in obnoxious laughter about Bridget's mistaken definition of cool just as the trio had reached the corner that turned onto their street. Looking both ways, they turned down their street and in succession Rosetta, Bridget, and Milo, went to their houses which were right next door to each other, to be welcomed in by their overjoyed mothers. Bridget hugged her mother, and answered the commonplace question of how her day went. "Really good, I made a lot of friends today," Bridget answered to her mother, who handed her a brownie on a napkin and gave her a swift kiss on the cheek. "That's great darling, now if you'd please hurry and do your homework so we can have the evening free to prepare for dinner with the Matthews's," said Bridget's mother distractedly as Bridget rolled her eyes, and trudged up the stairs to begin on her math homework, which that evening was a whole slew of Pythagorean theorem problems which weren't that hard. Bridget sat down at her desk and unzipped her bag pulling out her math notebook and book, and starting on her assignment, preparing herself for the upcoming dinner that was to take place at her house later that evening with math problems and Oliver circling in her head. Shaking her head to clear it Bridget sighed, and pulled out a pencil and calculator. With images of Oliver still fluttering around her head, Bridget tackled her math homework in record time, and flopped down on her bed to daydream before her mother called her down for dinner. Looking at her sky blue walls covered in artwork, posters, and various photos, Bridget began to daydream about Oliver. It was going to be a pleasant evening indeed at the rate she was going at. Goody.


	5. Chapter 5

"I think it's a bit crazy, but it's definitely possible to already like someone in a day even though you've just met 'em," said Mike cheerfully as the bus pulled up. With a screech of the breaks the hulking metal vehicle came to a halt, the doors swinging open with a pneumatic efficiency. Oliver and Mike stepped into the rumbling monster, and headed to their usual seat in the back of the bus. Sitting down after placing their backpacks on the floor, they began a different conversation about a very different girl. "Hey you know how I like Nicole?" Mike asked Oliver as he fiddled with his watch. "Yeah," Oliver replied looking at him, "do you need help making something happen with her or something?" Mike stopped fiddling with his watch to look at Oliver a grin spreading across his face, his eyebrows rising, though barely visible beneath his mass of straight brown hair that nearly obliterated the view his eyes. "How'd you know that's what I was going to ask about?" "I just know you all too well," replied Oliver, grinning. "So what'd you have in mind exactly? Ping-pong balls flooding her locker? Flash mob that nearly scares her to death so that she'll have to say yes? Fireworks that you could get suspended for using on school grounds? Perhaps a huge sign declaring your love for her? Maybe were you thinking of using the marching band to form into the question?" Mike looked at Oliver wide-eyed at all of the possible ideas he was spewing out of his mouth like a rabies- infested Chihuahua. "Nope, nope, nope, and good idea but nope. I was thinking of something along the lines of like the ping-pong balls, but index cards with the question written all over them," Mike said slowly waiting for Oliver's reaction, which was almost as priceless as the time when he fell asleep in class after a long night of studying, and drooled all over his test paper. "Um, THAT SOUNDS AMAZING! So when are we going to do this exactly, and how often does she use her locker?" Between you (the reader), and me, (the author of this fan fiction), Oliver nearly had a fit of creative joy thinking about this, because one, he was a good friend, and two, he was known to go all out creatively on everything he did. Also, he screeched as loud as a girl at a One Direction concert would, but anyway, back to the story. Mike smiled, and answered Oliver's questioned, and texted his mom to tell her that he would be going to Oliver's to work on a school "project" and homework. When the bus stopped at Oliver's stop, both boys got off and walked down to Oliver's house. Ready to begin on their project, and finally get Mike a girl of his own.

In the wee hour of seven a.m. the next morning at Joshua L. Meridian Middle School, Oliver and Mike carried a full box of index cards to Nicole Addams' locker. Mike, who already knew her combination, opened the locker, and the boys began to fill up the locker with the index cards, each one written on with the question of if she'd go out with Mike, or a heart, or a flower. They carefully closed the locker after filling it up, and snuck off, Mike nervously waiting for the day she'd open her locker, and find the notes, hoping she'll say yes. Now my dear reader, let us travel to a week after this event has taken place…. Mike stood next to Nicole as she prepared to open her locker. "Did you get my notes?" Mike asked nervously as he tugged at his watch's band. "What notes Mike?" Nicole asked, very confused, and not knowing what Mike was talking about. "Oh um, just open your locker, we need to go anyway." Nicole gave Mike a puzzled look, but opened her locker nevertheless. A flood of pink, white, and red index cards fluttered out of her locker just as Oliver and Bridget round the corner. "So she finally knows that you like her after a month of liking her?" Oliver asked cheekily, looking at Mike. "What's this about liking me Mike?" Nicole asked, scooping up the index cards, and shoving them into her backpack, with Bridget helping. "Um… um.. just look at one of the red cards please," Mike begged. Nicole picked a red card up and read it. Grinning, she stood up with the help of Bridget. "I'd love to Mike, you are really sweet for doing this for me. Thanks." Mike grinned as she hugged him, his face turning a bright red. The small group headed out into the bright sunlight of the afternoon. It was another good day at Joshua L. Meridian Middle indeed. Even though good days are rare at that school, this was just the beginning of a series of intergroup relationships blossoming. It wasn't the first time the walls of this school had seen such things, nor was it going to be the last time. Mike grinned as he hugged Nicole goodbye as he and Oliver waited for the bus. Mike O'Malley finally had a girl to call his own.


	6. Chapter 6

**Had to make this one short, just not really in the mood to write right now.

Bridget sighed as she sat down next to Oliver at their lunch table. "What's got you down in the dumps?" asked Oliver carefully taking a bite of the spaghetti that was being served that day. "Oh nothing, just you know, tired," Bridget replied as she unzipped her lunchbox and pulled out her sandwich, taking a bite. Oliver looked at her for a second, a light color starting to form in his cheeks. Just then, Anthony Higgins, the known class idiot, sat down in front of both of them. "Well if it isn't Bridget and Oliver.. Is that a blush I see Oliver? Oh Bridget, looks like you're already quite the heart stealer, and this is what, your third day here? That's a new record! It took Lavender four days to get guys to start liking her. I should go tell every-," "SHUT UP WILL YOU?!," Bridget cried interrupting him, "I'm flipping tired, and here you are, blathering on about my new "record" or whatever when I don't really care apparently at this moment! So why don't you go choke on your spaghetti or something?!" Anthony looked at her shocked only for the slightest second before smirking, "You just pick the feisty ones don't you Oliver? This one looks like a tough nut to crack, especially if she's tired. I'll leave you alone, for now." With that, Anthony got up promptly, and with one last smirk towards Bridget who now held her head in between her hands, walked off to go sit with Mark, and Andy (members of his self-made "posse"). "I'm sorry if I scared you, its just he kept on blathering on about some nonsense, and I'm not exactly in the mood for his tom-foolery," Bridget said quietly, as she continued to eat her sandwich, just with her head down. "Scared me," Oliver said quietly, "oh no you didn't scare me," putting a hand on Bridget's shoulder her smiled. "You just amazed me." Bridget looked up, her eyes sparkling slightly, "What do you mean amazed you?" Oliver grinned broader, "no girl I have ever known has been brave enough to stand up to Anthony, it's part of his initiation test to see which clique you're going to be in. He's like a sorting machine, but human. Looks like you'll be with us, because we all got fed up with him, and he told us we'd all be stuck together, and look at us now. We're a bunch of carneys in our own circus, which is awesome, because we know we'll stick together 'till the end." Bridget grinned, "so we're like a cult in a sense of being in a inescapable social grouping?" Oliver chuckled, "yup, pretty much." "Well then I say, we should name ourselves the Queso Carney Cult," Bridget said cheerfully, just as Rosetta, Nicole, and Mike sat down. "You guys!" Oliver exclaimed as they looked towards him, "we're the Queso Carney Cult!"


	7. Chapter 7

****I haven't written for so long because of various trips interfering with my access to the computer lately. But I am writing now, so let's see where I'm going to take this story!

Bridget sat hunched over her cereal in her home's kitchen, at six o' clock in the morning on Saturday. She was awake all night last night much to the annoyance of her sister Florence, who had plans with her boyfriend all day today. Florence was only fifteen, but she acted like she was twenty, Bridget's other sister Ophelia, however, was a senior in high school (eighteen), and yet she acted like she was Bridget's age. Bridget scooped the small flakes of fruit flavored corn into her mouth, and sighed. She kept thinking about Oliver all night last night, and it caused her to lie wide awake in her bed, and when it turned six (the earliest time her parents would allow the children out of their rooms), Bridget got up, and walked downstairs for breakfast. Yesterday, she had yelled at Anthony Higgins, and had permanently landed herself in her clique, The Queso Carney Cult, alongside Nicole, Rosetta, Mike, Ike, Laura, Stella, James, and most importantly, Oliver. It was good she had landed there, and not alongside Morris, Lavender, and Oscar, mainly because she detested Lavender, and got the creeps around Oscar. Bridget's spoon hit the bottom of the cereal-less bowl, so Bridget lifted the bowl up to her mouth, and drank the remainder of the milk within it so as to not waste milk. Bridget got up from her chair, and shuffled to the sink bowl and spoon in hand, and set them down in it, and looking up from the window casually to see Rosetta swinging on her swings in her backyard, and James next to her, swinging in unison. Bridget grinned, turned around, and shuffled upstairs to her father's library, which was enormous, and filled to the brim with wonderful and classic books to read. Bridget used to spend many hours in here when she was still home schooled, and would do nothing but read all day stopping only to relieve herself, and eat, it was one of the reasons her parents decided to send her and her brother to public school, to have them develop "social skills". Bridget fingered the worn spines of the books as she walked, smiling as she remembered each of the stories the books contained. Bridget stopped walking when she got to the door of the room again. Not really in the mood for reading this early in the morning Bridget left the library, and walked into the hallway. Her dreamy state was interrupted by a quiet knock on the front door, thinking it odd for someone to be here early, and not wanting to see who was at the door when she had opened it, Bridget walked to the window at the end of the hall that overlooked the roofless front porch below. Taking a cautious peek over the window frame, Bridget saw an all too familiar head of curly black hair. How did Oliver find out where she lived? "No time for questions," Bridget thought, as she quickly walked down the stairs, smoothing down her currently messy hair, "Oliver Callahan is at your front door, at the crack of dawn, and you're going to answer this door right now!" thought Bridget to her already sweaty self. Slowly, Bridget opened the door, peeking only her eye out and seeing a smiling Oliver. Blushing a bit, Bridget opened the door wider, only poking her head out. "What brings you here to my humble home?" asked Bridget who grinned widely at Oliver, who seemed to be dripping with sweat. "Well um, I um… I er… I just wanted to… to tell you that um… I-I-I-I-I-I- r-r-really th-th-think that y-y-you are j-j-just," Oliver said, stuttering terribly, the stutter he thought he outgrew had returned seeing Bridget in the morning light. He was terrified of admitting he liked Bridget and wanted to quickly leave. "H-H-here," Oliver said beckoning towards Bridget with a small bouquet of flowers, "I-I-I g-g-got th-th-these f-f-for y-y-you." Bridget extended her hand out the door, opening it wider, and eventually she stepped fully out, ratty t-shirt, sweats, and all. Oliver quickly placed the bouquet in her hands, and with a meek smile, turned and ran away, down the street to Bridget's bewilderment. Shrugging, Bridget looked at the flowers and gasped, as she slowly recognized the meanings of each one. Oliver must have raided someone's garden, or happened upon a florist's freshly dumped out, but still good flowers, because they were lovely. There was Jonquil, a purple lilac, a moonflower, a gardenia, and most importantly, a single, beautiful, thorn less rose. Bridget blushed deeply, and looked towards the end of the street, and saw Oliver still standing on the corner. Bridget smiled, lifted the flowers to her nose, and inhaled the flowers' lovely scent. She turned to the bench her mother had placed on the porch years before, and quickly setting down the bouquet, Bridget turned and ran the whole way to the corner, and nearly slammed into Oliver. She pulled him into a firm hug, and looked up at him for a brief second before his mouth made contact with her's and Bridget's whole world caught fire. The pair broke apart, blushing, said a quick goodbye, and parted ways. Things were never going to be the same again.


End file.
